The Rolls-Royce of toasters (Dualit 2 + 1 Combi Toaster)

Member Name: SueMagee

Product:	Dualit 2 + 1 Combi Toaster
Date:	16/05/01 (349 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nearly idiot proof!, Toasts evenly, Built to last

Disadvantages: Expensive, Just a little on the large side.

I would never admit it to anyone else but you, but it was my own fault we were having to buy a new pop-up toaster every couple of years. You see, I love toasted tea-cake, and it's uneconomical to put the grill on for a toasted tea-cake, isn't it? I knew you'd agree. So I put them in the pop-up toaster. A burnt currant is like cement, and a couple of those in the springs and the toaster was not so much pop-up as caput. Finally my husband had had enough. "We're getting a Dualit" he said. It took me a moment to catch up with him as I thought he was talking about metal polish, and I was still toying with the thought of him polishing the brass when he told me the cost. "£169" I screeched. "No way".

Well, there it was a week later, sitting on the working surface. If you think it looks big in the shop, wait till you see it at home. It's inconspicuous in the kitchen like the Two Fat Ladies are inconspicuous. We've had it for six years now, and it isn't getting any smaller, but it is still working.

You're wondering about the toasted tea-cakes aren't you? Well, it would be great to toast both halves together, but the two-slot section is really only made for bread. Yes, OK, I did try, and the answer is a pair of wooden tongs. The cage section is great for this sort of thing. You can even lift things out whilst they're toasting to see that they're doing nicely. It's great for toasted sandwiches, too. You have to butter the bottom of the slice of bread and put the filling onto it, and then put another slice of bread on top with the buttered side uppermost. Are you with me so far? Good. Now press down. You've got butter on your hands and butter on the breadboard when you finally manage to scrape the sandwich off it, but there should still be some on your sandwich. Cheese and chutney is great, if a bit sinful, but ham and pineapple is delightful.

To
get toast out of the double-slot section you simply press a lever down and the bread is lifted up. It's idiot-proof. In fact, the whole thing is supposed to be idiot- proof. The problem is that, as idiots go, I'm quite clever, and I've found a way of beating it. There's a simple switch system to control whether you have one, two, or all three slots working. At breakfast it's usually two slots for toast. At lunch it's usually one slot for a toasty. Forget to change the switches (er, well, about twice a week, actually) and you get a toasty that's cremated on one side and raw on the other.

It's mostly easy to clean - a simple slide-out tray collects all the crumbs. What isn't so easy to clean is the top, particularly around the toasty slot which gets to look a bit like the oven racks after you've done a roast. No...... I don't think Duraglit's the answer.

Summary: